Here I stand, Welcome to the Mafia
by jeanoviva
Summary: You know, I thought dying would send me to the pearly gates of heaven but instead I'm lying inside an incubator, naked as the day I was born. And my forehead's on fire.
1. Kagerou Irony

**Title:** Here I stand, Welcome to the Mafia

**Rating:** T

**Warning:** Characters maybe OOC, references, and cussing.

**Summary:** In dying, I expected to be in front of those praised pearly gates of heaven,basked in the divine light of goodness and feeling the naked holiness whilst being welcomed by an entourage of celestial hotties with perfect proportions. Instead, I'm stark naked inside a small incubator, apparently suffering a minimal mishap after being delivered into this world.

**Author's Note:** This is my first KHR fanfic that transpired from the numerous reincarnation fic and decided to try it out as well. I don't know if I'm any good so comments and suggestions are welcome.

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Kagerou Irony

Afterlife is, as Merriam-Webster defined, a state after death. Depending on the individual's perspective, what lies in their afterlives would extremely differ from another person. Take for example Christianity and half of the earth's population, they believe that a person's place in the afterlife would depend solely on their moralities and deeds when they were still alive: a person who is generally a goody-two-shoes in their whole lives would be granted entrance into the blissful place called 'Heaven' while those who have succumbed to humanities sins and atrocities will be thrown into the place called 'Hell'.

There are also, however, religions that believe in other forms of afterlife. Exempli gratia, ancient and modern religions such as those in found in India, Spiritism, Theosopy and Eckankar hold the idea of reincarnation, still based on the morality scale of the person.

And of course, there are those people; agnostics, atheist and downright believers of science, math and anything else that has can provide proof to their inquiries and claims. These people have a different view of the afterlife that ranges from the simple claim of 'nothingness' to the most outrageous statements of 'parallel worlds' and 'time-locked existence'. Those sorts of ideas. Sounds crazy but it could be true. Like Schrödinger's cat but more complex or possibly something else entirely.

But the main point is, it's different for everyone and this isn't exactly something we would know until we've reached the end of the line.

And then there's me.

Just to make things clear, I'm this kid, well, adolescent that has cross beliefs of agnosticism and Catholicism, however that works. I'm not entirely sure about the god part but I'm pretty convinced that there is a heaven. Well, an equivalent of it anyway.

And upon my death, I expected to be in front of those praised pearly gates of heaven, basked in the divine light of goodness and feeling the naked holiness whilst being welcomed by an entourage of celestial hotties with perfect proportions.

Instead, I'm stark naked inside a small incubator, apparently suffering a minimal mishap after being delivered into this world.

What. The. Fuck.

* * *

Before everything else, here's how it happened.

The day after March thirty-one is the day that which my trope of idiot friends decided that it was a radical idea to relax at the mall after a stressful week of college finals. That's what they said. But I'm not an idiot. I'm pretty sure we're going to do something stupid and illegal that would warrant the supposed 'hawk-like' attention of the authority and proceed to be publicly humiliated with the judgmental minds of society baring witness to the deeds of the kids of today and the stories would be passed down to the next generation of the future and be cited as a historical example as to what not to do and be a fucking bore for the rest of their lives.

In summary, it's going to be awesome.

And so there I was, walking lazily to my destination with my earphones blasting off Soraru's version of Kagerou Days, a track contrary to my usual songs that belonged mostly to indie-alternative rock bands. I'm not exactly what you could consider an otaku or whatever you call it(even though I used to be one) but the song is catchy and I love his voice. It's like ear sex or something. And when I watched the music video, it ultimately got me hooked. And because of that, I am willing to be a little bit otaku-ish for this one.

Anyway, walking. That's what I did at that moment. Walking. And most likely contemplating as to what I want to drink because the heat in this country is actually giving me sunburns and I haven't even been out of the house for ten minutes.

I did the only logical thing to do; I hauled ass and ran like I was chased by dogs.

It was the dumbest Idea I've had for two reasons:

a) I get exhausted easily. And,

b) Apparently my shoe laces are not properly tied and thus I stepped on them and promptly tripped on a kid half my size.

As I fell to the ground, I realized that I must have weighed like a whale with the loud thump I heard and the screech that followed. Or the kid that I fell on is just so scrawny but I'm not going to claim that he is because that is just plain rude.

I ended up apologizing and helping the kid up before grabbing for the scattered groceries that I knocked off of him. As much as I would like to act like a jerk and just walk away because of the early development of sunburns, I decided to be nice and help him out because it's the right thing to do. And I don't actually have the back bone to be an asshole to total strangers.

Once I've finished this obligation, I was about to navigate away when the shit that I did not expect just decided to bite me in the ass.

A truck was accelerating on the street with no signs of stopping and it was going to crash on the lined up cars stuck in traffic.

And I thought another traffic tragedy would be blasted all over the news seeing as the close proximity of the cars and the velocity of the truck would more or less cause a domino effect of a horrid accident. However, instead of the untimely crash of the cars, the truck swerved to our direction. Unconsciously, I found myself pushing the kid I fell on away and proceeded to have my bones crushed between the truck and an electric post.

Let me tell you something about getting hit by a truck: it doesn't hurt much if your vertebrae took most of the critical hit. Sure, the impact really hurt at first but because of the fact that my spinal cord was the most damaged part of my body, my nervous system got heavily affected as well.

So I just lied there still in the pool of my own blood, faintly hearing the lyrics of the repeated song on my earphones and the blurred image of the kid I just pushed out of the way was within my line of vision.

At that moment, my entire life flashed before me.

Maybe.

I wasn't entirely sure of that yet. I was too preoccupied with other things like the fact that I am actually at the end point of my life, my untimely death, which is something that I welcome with open arms.

For the record, I'm not suicidal. I'm just tired of living my life and I don't really like spending the next half of my life working my ass off and being under paid. And I'm bored with the lack of excitement. Monotony is something that I despise and just thinking about what happens after death is like the next great adventure, in the words of the Albus Dumbledore.

Another thing that preoccupied my mind and distracted me from the whole life flashback thing is the irony of my predicament. I was listening to Kagerou Days even until now and my mind is reeling on the music video, promptly replaying the part where the boy in the music video sacrificed himself for his friend and could see the similarities of it to my situation. Well, except for the part that I don't really know the kid I saved and that I'm positive I wouldn't be experiencing such things like time loops. You get the point.

And then another thought came to me.

_Fuck_.

It just realized that it was the first of April.

_My death is a joke_.

Those were my last thoughts as I completely descended into the state of unconsciousness.

* * *

When I woke up once more, I felt myself slightly submerged in a pool of water, the after smell of rain wafting through my nostrils. I had a talent of foretelling the weather back when I was still alive and it seems that it's still functioning even in the afterlife.

"Afterlife, huh?"

Oh yeah, I was dead. And this must be heaven or something.

I willed myself to open my eyes, to see what the magical paradise of the afterlife would look like. And I found myself looking at the stretch of barren land where the skies meet the earth.

"S-salt flats![1]" I exclaimed.

So, this was heaven.

I was slightly disappointed of what the afterlife looked like. Well, the reflection of the skies on the ground did give a nice touch but... I was expecting the palace of the almighty and my expectations have not been met so it is kind of a bummer.

But that didn't stop me from wondering if I'm all alone in this place, hence I abruptly stood up and started walking towards a random direction. Before I could actually start my journey though, this unexpected gust of wind made me turn my head in another way and glance upon an odd sight.

At least a meter away from me stood a peculiar woman with one of the kindest smiles I've chanced upon. I used the word 'peculiar' because you don't actually see people wearing a gargantuan mushroom hat with an odd looking tattoo on the right side of their cheek.

All I could do as this woman began to speak was rub the particles that entered my eyes because of the breeze. It was rude, I know, not paying attention and all but there is also the tiny little detail that I can't hear her very well because of the wind and… because I may have slight hearing problems that comes with the consequence of having earphones on full volume blasting down music in my ear canals almost every day.

I noticed she stopped talking and started giggling at my current predicament.

If I could make people combust with my glares, this woman would have been atoms in the air. Sadly I didn't have that kind of ability. Nor did she even notice that I was giving her a glare. Instead, she held out her hand, offering a hand shake to which I just dumbly stared at before grunting and taking up the offered hand.

Not a moment passed before I found myself, again, being succumbed into the darkness of slumber.

* * *

When I woke up once more, everything was a fucking blur.

Literally.

Given with the shit that I just experience the last thing that I expected was a bad eye sight. I already felt distressed with all that have come to pass, dying and finding myself in a fucking deserted version of heaven and now this? I felt all over pissed; pissed enough to throw a tantrum despite being in an age that is considered already pre-adulthood. Talk about maturity. Oh wait. I have none.

'_WHY THE FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?_' is what I intended to say.

"WAAAAAAAAAAA!" is what came out in its place.

I blinked before I tried saying something else.

'_I am sexy'_ came out as a bunch of gurgles from my lips.

I was losing my shit here.

I mean I died, went to a purgatory and met this weird cosplaying chic and then found myself here with an eye sight of an a near-sighted astigmatic person. Who wouldn't be emotionally compromised with such an experience?

'**I find it offensive that you think of me as 'weird''** a voice in my little head broke my bubbling dilemma.

'_Oh my god, just shut the fuck up conscience I have other things to worry about! I don't need your shit because this kind of stress level is beyond my own capacity and you are not helping at all!'_

I swear, I heard my conscience sigh in a slightly exasperated manner before I found myself being lulled by a hymn inside my own head.

Needless to say, I felt like I was floating on clouds when I yielded to the lullaby that echoed even in the darkest corners of my mind. And maybe just a little bit high as well. The unknown tune did its effects of placating my worries and soon enough, all panic that I possessed was flushed down the nearest toilet. And strangely enough, my head feels kind of warm.

'**Please, if you would, refrain from using such profanities. It is unbecoming. And I am not your conscience, child. I am Sepira. We've met earlier. '**

The image of the strange woman with the kind smile flashed briefly in my thoughts.

And for a brief moment there, I have somehow related her to this character(Yuna? Yuni?) I knew back in my otaku days but the thought faded away as soon as it came.

'_If you're not my conscience, then who—no, what are you? Why are you inside my head? And what the hell is happening?!'_

Before I could actually receive a respond, my suddenly sensitive ear canals have been invaded by a manly voice sputtering an exclamation.

"Olie! Y-your baby's on f-fire!"

I'm pretty sure I heard a heavy object smack on to someone and judging from the pained moan, it was a direct hit.

"Iemitsu Sawada if you're screwing around with me I'm gonna strangle you with your own innards!" snapped a feminine voice.

"Is that the way you address your boss?"

"It is when you're joking around about my son."

"But I'm not! Your son, he has rain flames on his forehead."

There was a cold tension in the room that could rival the harsh negative Celsius of the deepest abyss of the oceans.

I'm not exactly sure what happened next. I heard sounds of struggle before I felt myself being hoisted up and pressed against a woman's glorious bosom. Holy shit.

Wait.

…

_HOLY SHIT._

A wail came out of my mouth.

"Olie, you shouldn't be out of bed- PUT YOUR SON BACK IN THE INCUBATOR! DO YOU WANT HIM TO DIE?" The Iemitsu guy pleaded to the woman holding me.

"Shush! No son of mine will die from being away from that machine. Heck, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even need that thing. The hospital's probably just mooching or something." The woman spoke in a nonchalant tone. "Now that's a pretty impressive flame you got there, sweetheart. But Mama will put it out for now, alright? We wouldn't want to attract the hospital's attention now, do we?"

With that being said, I felt something, perhaps a finger, touch my forehead, the area where the warmth is coming from, and gradually felt that area cool within a few seconds.

"Now that wasn't so bad? Ah you're so adorable, my little Venezio~" the woman holding cooed and presses me up against her breast more.

"So, Venezio is his name?"

"Yes. It's kind of a family tradition. To be named after the place you we're born at."

"Which explains Olympia. But really, I thought you'd name your son as Joker from Batman. "

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Weeeeell, it is April Fool's day."

"Why you little—"

The two people continue to bicker and eventually I was withdrawn from the woman's arms and placed back to where I was before.

"Ah, I kind of want to see how Nana-chan and Tsu-kun are now. Ooh~ you should come meet my wife and son! I bet Tsu-kun and Ene-kun would get along!" The Iemitsu quy practically squealed while the Olympia woman simple grunted in response to the other's antics.

I didn't listen any further to what they were discussing. It seemed pointless seeing as that Iemitsu guy was having a one-sided conversation and I was busy contemplating my situation and freezing my ass of in the incubator.

'**How do you fare at the moment, child?'** the kind voice of Sepira made itself known in my thoughts.

'_Let's see, apparently I died in a traffic accident, ended up in a pseudo-heaven and am now a newborn infant who has health complications and is confined in a piece of plastic box crib with a possibility of dying from hypothermia because I'm literally naked. Overall, I'm pretty good. Just having a hard time digesting everything. And being cold.'_

'…**I would aid you with the dying will flames however I highly agree with your mother's opinion concerning this matter.'**

It seems that sarcasm is an unfamiliar field to Sepira. Not to mention the fact that she missed the whole statement except the apparent coldness of my body. That my friends is a grade A example of selective hearing.

Kind face or not, I would have snapped back something at Sepira had not the word 'Dying will flame' caught my attention.

That word, Dying Will Flame, is a term used in mafia-themed shounen manga of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. It's one of the mangas I have fully dedicated myself too back when I was still in my elementary to early middle school years. And if memory serves me right, there are like seven or more types of these flames. The Iemitsu guy mentioned that my forehead lit up with rain flames and now that I think about it…

**Wait a minute**.

The Iemitsu guy said that.

Iemitsu.

I vaguely remembered his name being screamed by my mother.

_Iemitsu Sawada._

The dubbed no-good father of the protagonist of the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Tsunayoshi Sawada.

…

**YO.**

**NO.**

**FUCKING.**

**WAY.**

I passed out for the third time already.

No doubt due to the unbelievable circumstances.

I expected a peaceful paradise when I die; instead I'm a newborn baby in a fictional world that I used to fawn over in my otaku-kiddie days.

And now, somehow I feel like there is a higher entity laughing their ass off at my situation like it's the ultimate universal prank.

…

…

…

I fucking hate April Fool's Day.

* * *

**[1]** Salt flats/pans are grounds that are covered with salt and other minerals. A better reference scene for the supposed 'afterlife' is Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni.

**Author's Note:** I hoped you enjoyed reading that. Da lawd noes I has not written for a thousand years so I apologize for any grammatical error. And yes, comments and suggestions are totally welcome.


	2. Patience, First Times & Stuff

**Title:** Here I stand, Welcome to the Mafia

**Rating:** T

**Warning:** Characters maybe OOC, many references, and some cussing.

**Summary:** In dying, I expected to be in front of those praised pearly gates of heaven,basked in the divine light of goodness and feeling the naked holiness whilst being welcomed by an entourage of celestial hotties with perfect proportions. Instead, I'm stark naked inside a small incubator, apparently suffering a minimal mishap after being delivered into this world.

**Author's Note:** First off, thanks for the reviews, follows and faves. It served as a motivation to start on the next chapter, an achievement on my part since I have the tendency to leave things as it is. Second, my apologies for the super late update. My reason, college life. Medical college course. Stuff to do. So yeah, my apologies. Third. Review response to the following:

To _iluvfairytale_: If you're talking about pre-reincarnation, I leave that for the readers to decide. But if its post-reincarnation, then it's a boy.

To _KiraLoveless_: Thank you for the love. And here is the next chapter for you. * ^ *

**Disclaimer:** Forgot to put this in the last chapter. I OWN NOTHING BUT THIS STORY AND A FEW CHARACTERS.

* * *

**Chapter 2: **Patience, First times and a Crap Load of New Things

Patience.

Unlike any other word, the word 'Patience' has a definite and universal meaning that is known to everyone. Though that is established, despite its general meaning, humanity is comprised of a planet full of intellectuals that varies from each other, hence there are diversities of perspectives on how the population view and understand the word 'Patience'. There are numerous standpoints on the concept of 'Patience' but there are three categorical perspectives that stand out the most.

The first category focuses on the religious perspective. In the religion of Christianity, the word Patience is widely known as part of the seven heavenly virtues of their faith. Patience in this area is, according to Wikipedia, is '_a virtue of forbearance and endurance through temperance, of resolving conflicts through pacifistic ways, of showing mercy and of peace._' This description is also found in Buddhism with somewhat little difference wherein their virtue of 'Patience' lies where endurance is practiced, especially if he or she is found in a difficult situation. Mostly, if not all, religions have their perspective of Patience to exhibit fortitude in the face of most situations.

Meanwhile, the scientific perspective integrates the word to human or animal behavior of self-control. It is viewed as a factor that has an effect on the choices an organism makes; an element in whatever decision-making is to be conducted. Basically, decision-making that involves choices between shortcuts with little benefits and long-ways with bigger benefits, animals and humans tend to choose the one with the easiest and least amount of work involved even though there are little benefits garnered rather than the ways that requires patience which is accompanied by larger benefits.

Lastly, the third category is the universal perspective, also known as, the general public opinion. Among the three categories, this one is the most recognized one. For these individuals, they take the word 'Patience' for its dictionary value. To them, patience is '_an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay_' or in simpler terms, people who can wait and suppress themselves in any condition without combusting in rage.

In today's society, immediateness is a dominant term that applies to everything we do due to the technological advances that gives everyone what they need at a touch of a finger tip. Because of this, the conceptual value of patience has been reduced to a mere few minutes of waiting for a video to load due to terrible WiFi reception instead of an eternal waiting period for the coming of the Messiah. And unfortunately, the ratio of individuals who have high tolerance is lower than those who do not posses it. Those who do not have it are, as society dictates, a normal person and those who do are often victims to the idiom _'one who has a patience of a saint'_.

And then there's me.

I've been through a lot of crap lately and ironically, it all started on the day that I died. And at that point on, it progressed into a horrendous college kid's nightmare. I know that a lot of anime fans and whatnot would die to be in my situation but please, have you considered the intensity of the circumstances?

Apparently, I have been born, well, reincarnated into a mafia themed shounen manga called Katekyo Hitman Reborn. May I emphasize the word **MAFIA**—an organization composed primarily of criminals and people who rarely abide by the standard laws established. People who actually want to be in my situation are crazy. And speaking of crazy, everyone around me is crazy. They have no sense of caution and they just whip out their guns uncaringly and yell a lot even though there is a freaking baby within the vicinity. Actually, they're confident enough to defy physics and not even lay a scratch on me even when the whole room looks like an aftermath of Die Hard gone wild.

Furthermore, it seems like my reincarnation here, in this specific world, is a paradoxical coincidence. I say paradoxical because yes, I was supposed to be reincarnated here and no, because while my soul is reincarnated in this universe, I'm suppose to start on a clean slate; meaning the memories of my previous existence would have been purged from my soul.

Well, that is all according to Sepira, the voice in my head that was with me on the moment I woke up in this universe. She knows a lot but she'd been vague with her answers. I think of her as a mother with her nagging attitude towards my slightly profane mentality which annoys me. Added with the insanity that is everything in the KHR universe, I would have exploded in raged at how maddening everything is by now but somehow, my patience and willpower to keep calm and carry on prevailed over my urges.

With the kind of bat-shit crazy lifestyle I have and am going to live with till my next moment of death, I should have a medal for this.

Better yet, I should be canonized on my deathbed.

* * *

It has been a year or so since I have died. It has been a year since I found myself barely wearing anything inside an incubator surrounded by individuals of notorious affiliations. It has been a year since a dying will flame has combusted on my forehead. It has been a year since I realized I've actually been reborn into the insanity that is the universe of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. And as the months progressed, I found myself accumulating information and constructing a mental list about the things around me:

1) My name is Venezio Cosimo

2) My mother is Olympia Cosimo

3)Said mother is in the mafia and is the sister of the boss of a somewhat known family which makes said mother a candidate for succession should anything happen to the head and his family

4)Also, said mother is working for the CEDEF

5)And apparently, my godfather is Iemitsu Sawada

6)And today she is taking me to work with her because of godfather's request and due to the fact there was no one to baby sit me

I mentally scoffed at the last part. In a house hold of a mafia famiglia, there are at least two to three people who are free from a mission and based from the one year I spent in that house hold, that was actually the case. And in my case, a lot of blood relatives, women and kid loving subordinates actually wanted to baby sit me just for a change of pace now and then. It was good and all but please, have you ever considered the type of house hold I live in?

It just so happened that my beloved mother walked in on the family's right hand man and another subordinate having a sword fight while cussing up a super-typhoon. According to conversations, my mother wouldn't have minded and would have joined in the fray.

And she did.

For an entirely different reason.

Anyway, long story short, the aftermath was a room destroyed, two men adorning numerous burns and other type of injuries and an earful of scolding from an enraged mother about how they're recklessness could have killed me.

If I could speak properly, I would have pointed out the fact that she burned down the entire room.

But then again, talking back to a provoked mother bear isn't actually a wise idea.

And now the following day arrived and here my mother stands in front of the CEDEF headquarters with a baby carrier strapped to the ventral side of her body that contains me and the hideous jumpsuit with a Mickey Mouse hoodie.

For any baby of my age, wearing such an atrocity is something they wouldn't mind. In fact, the likelihood of them ever remembering being a victim to such unbearable humiliation is like the chances of the sun exploding at the command of a leech.

Negative-fucking-infinity.

There is a very big difference between other babies and me. They have undeveloped brains while I have the consciousness of an individual in their adolescent years and as such find my current predicament a poison to the little dignity that I have left. I say 'little' because seriously, when you get to that age where you've experienced enough high jinks to last the next sixty years of your life, the concept of dignity is as foreign as an alien.

'_I do not think it is as horrible as you describe it to be. It gives you a certain charm, if I say so myself._'

My right eye twitched as the slight giggles of Sepira's voice echoed in my thoughts.

I'm positive she's talking about the gloves.

Yes, along with this fucking hoodie, I had to wear Mickey's gloves. And only this woman within my mind actually finds it appealing.

Only because she has a kink for men with gloves.

She didn't exactly out right say it but the fact that she had pointed out that she married a man with a collection of gloves when people put those mitten-gloves thing on my hand during the early infancy stage of my life. Not to mention that she keeps going on lengths when she would describe Vongola Primo's battles. Sepira would give emphasis on Giotto's I-gloves.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night.

As my mother decided to navigate to her destination, I couldn't help but feel the eyes of the other employees on me. It's the same stares I've received when I first arrived in my new home. However, the stares of the CEDEF members are less intense than the vibes from mother's—_our _famiglia sent me. In any case, here, it was more out of curiosity with mixed with slight astonishment if my interpretation is correct.

I let myself be succumbed to evaluating thoughts regarding the CEDEF headquarters, something I shouldn't have done, especially in this place where a man who likes to grab children and throw them around lurks at every corner. I just realized this truth about Iemitsu Sawada when I felt myself being hoisted up from my baby carrier and unceremoniously thrown up into the air.

Let me tell you something about this kind of thing: if you've experienced the drop tower at Six Flags, then you'd know that distinct feeling in your stomach. The average adult after every ride would feel something akin to uneasiness. That's what I felt. And at this point, I am but a twelve month old boy. So it's not uncommon for my baby urges to overtake me and express my feeling of discomfort through an ear piercing cry after the ride.

By the fact that Iemitsu was sweating bullets, I could tell that my mother has that looks that indicates that she's on the warpath to inflict pain on the one who made her baby cry.

When my tantrum subsided, I was too exhausted to take note of the repercussion but I swear, I can still smell the after smoke of a one-sided rage battle.

* * *

The next time I awoke, it was to find myself on a couch with an ugly ass clown toy staring me down like I did something wrong, which I didn't, by the way. However, the look on its face was enough to warrant a punch from my baby fist and the thing proceeded to topple its humungous body on top of me. My automatic response was to struggle to get that thing off me as I cussed up a vocabulary of rainbow unicorn shit.

But they came out as babbles still.

_Click. Flash._

That very sequence of sounds made me immobile in my current battle of dominance against the stuff toy. That specific sound that I loved to hear when I looked my best and loathed it in when I'm in my worst left a very dreadful feeling in the pits of my gut as it sounded for a second time.

_ Click. Flash._

"Another one for the album! My godson looks adorable but not as adorable as my—"

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as the offender named Iemitsu Sawada laughed at my totally embarrassing predicament and before I could register my actions, I promptly grabbed the heavy stuffed clown and proceeded to execute an extremely hard throw towards the target that is the CEDEF boss.

There are a number of things you should and should not do when you are holding a camera. One of them is pointing it at me and taking a picture of my great effort against a stuff toy; an embarrassing moment that I would like to forget that ever happened.

I felt a sense of satisfaction as I heard the camera smash onto Iemitsu's face before he continued to fall down on his behind.

Fuck yeah.

You don't mess with a baby.

Especially me.

You don't do that to me.**[1]**

I drowned out Sepira's nagging about my code of conduct inside my thoughts while I depicted an image of the perfect one year old, playing with my hands and laughing nonchalantly at nothing at all in particular.

Honestly, I live in a world that defies even simplest form of the fundamental concepts of logic and physics; the least I could have done is abuse that factor to my benefit. And I will, at due time but not now. Not until I've relished my days of youth and live life like I've envisioned it to be; try the things that I wanted to do but couldn't due to some things that hinder me from doing it. You get my drift? Because eventually, I will have to be involved in this world's logic defying antics and until then, I will relish this moment of normality.

Or at least when Sepira actually gives me the 'talk'.

Not the 'birds and the bees' one but my purpose in this world. Apparently, I do have a purpose in this universe. If anything it would be a something behind the scene which is still debatable with the lack of information in hand. I'm not really sure about this because Sepira is being tight lipped about the whole thing.

In any case, the only thing she did say is that I've a purpose in this world, which is why I have my set of memories with me from the previous world. Sepira pulled me out of the auto-reincarnation loop that complete purges every little detail that was embed on my spirit thus allowing it to start on a new slate. She needed an _error_ individual to accomplish her purpose by acting as her vessel since she doesn't have one. And by coincidence, she chose me.

And this is why I'm actually sitting here like the dumb clueless baby I'm supposed to be instead of going all out and causing havoc and ruling the world as a tyrant with an iron fist.

Not that I could anyway.

Even in this world, that is something I can doubtfully manage. So now, I'll just enjoy the scenery of the spluttering CEDEF boss telling everybody that I gave him the bloody nose while Turmeric just gave him a funny look and my mother emanated an ominous aura as she cracked her knuckles.

My godfather chose the wise path of keeping his comments to himself.

No man is a match against a fierce mother, especially when it comes to their child.

Still, I doubt Iemitsu has been subjected to such a situation till now since he hasn't been exactly spending time with his own family. And if he did, I think he'd be the first one to maul a person who'd cause distress towards his beloved Nana-chan and Tsuna-kun.

For a care-free sort of guy, he can be scary when he wants to. If the fact that he is a boss of an organization that is part of one of the most powerful families isn't a dead give a way that he's taking this job seriously meaning he is badass, then you must be a universal imbecile.

"Is your Uncle Iemitsu being a meanie?" my mother, Olympia, crouched down to my level as she fixed the buttons of my jumper.

I took this moment too look over the blonde hair man, our eyes making contact for a brief moment. I didn't hesitate to give him that troll-face look.

Cue baby acting.

I started babbling a mile a minute with a pout of discontentment etched on my features as I pointed accusingly at Iemitsu. It was all that was needed for my mother to direct a reprimanding glare at the offender. I could see the look of disbelief on the man's face from my peripheral and I didn't hesitate to stick out my tongue at him when my mother carried me off the couch.

"Honestly boss, it's been a year since you last saw him and the first thing you do is agitate him with your antics." Olympia huffed as she tamed my hair. Judging by her expression, she's unsuccessful.

"But most babies love being thrown in the air! It always makes them laugh! Even Basil laughs when I give him a drop tower ride and he's usually a quiet baby!" Iemitsu reasoned out.

"Well, have you considered that he isn't part of population who likes to be randomly thrown about?"

An incoherent mumble was heard from the blonde.

"And really, accusing a baby for your own clumsiness? That's just downright disappointing."

"B-but he really did throw that stuffed toy at me! It's like he got pissed out of embarrassment!"

You're not actually far off, Sawada.

Olympia gave her boss a blank stare.

"My son is a baby. You actually expect me to believe that a twelve month old baby just managed to throw a stuffed toy twice his weight at you?"

There was a moment of silence

"Uh…What if he's actually an Arcobal—" Turmeric began.

"Let me remind you I managed to fracture Boss' hand while I was pushing that seven pound of monstrosity out of my womanhood. The man's a testament to Venezio's normality." My mother was quick to dismiss the other man's theory.

"Maybe the Boss is exhausted from all the work and needs a vacation?" the other man voiced with uncertainty.

"I just got back from Japan last week!"

Before things escalated into a heated argument, the door to the room opened. Everyone, including myself, focused their attention on the newcomer and somehow, I think I've figured out why I'm actually here today. And why I am wearing this horrendous piece of shit.

A brunette wearing a corporate attire stood by the opened door. In one of her arms is a blue baby bag with dolphin designs and on the other hand was a girl wearing a jumpsuit similar to mine, with a ribbon placed atop her head. She was adorning that cherubic expression of innocence on her face that made her look…adorable?

That sounded weird coming from me, a baby with a consciousness of an adolescent.

I feel like a pedophile.

"Oi Oregano, what took you so long? Was changing Basil too much work for you?"

Oh.

Somehow, I can hear whatever pride I have left being bulldozed by the Komatsu D575A**[2]**.

"M-my apologies. I don't exactly have prior experience about baby care." The woman in question apologized, an embarrassed blushed tinted her cheeks.

"Nah, its fine." Olympia waved her off. "Now come on, Ven. Say hi to your new friend Basil~" Olympia urged me on. But I couldn't do it.

I was too embarrassed to look at the other baby.

Especially after I mistook of him for an adorable girl.

Just the thought of it made me bury my furiously blushing face deeper into my mother's neck.

"Never pegged him for the shy type especially with what happened earlier. " Iemitsu piped in. "Ah~ Maybe he's a tsundere!"

Honestly…

No comment.

Further evaluation is needed.

The moment was cut short when another CEDEF member paced into the room, a look of panic and distress evident in their features. Something about an attack and a need for backup was the gist of their conversation. I don't really know since I was too busy trying to wish myself away from everything while Sepira tried to console me in my thoughts. However, the lack of sincerity in her words didn't make me feel better. In fact, the feeling of her amusement resonated throughout my entire being.

Because of my initial distraction, I didn't realize that everyone else already left the vicinity, except Turmeric who's set on babysitting duty. By the time that I did, I was already in the playpen with Basil and the large ass clown toy that I have dubbed as Pippin. And no, it has nothing to do with that character from Lord of the Rings. It just felt right.

Anyway, while the other baby decided to entertain myself with the available block towers, I decided to pass my time by thinking of actually what to do right now till this play date is over.

Yes, this is actually a play date between me and Basil.

The dynamic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse jumpsuit speaks for itself.

As my eyes scanned for things to do, wandering orbs settled on the built in mirror on one of the playpen's wall. I stared at the image reflected on the mirror and found myself bemused as a baby boy with an unruly head of platinum blonde hair and the most vibrant red eyes with a distinct starry symbol stared back at me. I look like a hybrid between Haru from Tsuritama and Shokuhou Misaki from the To Aru-Index series with the hair and the eyes.

I inherited most of my mother's looks.

And frankly speaking, I didn't actually think I'd look a lot like Olympia. Well, except the eye color. She has the same hair color as mine, platinum blonde that was always tied up in a ponytail and blue eyes that held the same starry shaped symbol; most likely a family thing since relatives that have held me are also 'starry-eyed'.

'_I do believe it is a family trait._' Sepira chimed in.

'_Huh. What makes you say that?_'

'_I_ _distinctly remember asking the Cosimo Primo during our alliance meeting._'

'_An alliance meeting?_'

'_Yes. Though mostly it was to discuss the inheritors of the Tri-ni-set rings rather than discussing the actual alliance._'

Tri-ni-set. The word caught my interest and it seems vaguely familiar. I encountered the word through my KHR manga readings quite a few times though I haven't exactly pin-pointed the exact significance of the word. The more I ponder on its supposed meaning, words such as clams, sea and rainbows would pop up just behind it.

'_Tri-ni-set rings? You mean those rings that can turn anyone into a magical boy?_'

'_Magical boy? I do believe that you are referring to something else. The Tri-ni-set are a powerful set of rings that administer the growth and development of this plant as well as maintain the balance of its life force. Originally, the Tri-ni-set are composed of seven stones that were sustained by our species._'

'_Wait, species? Are you an alien?_' I cut her off with a question.

'_No, I am not. If anything, you humans are the aliens. Our species have inhabited this planet long before your kind even existed._ ' Sepira answered. '_Though throughout the millennia, our population diminished and this forced us to rely on the abilities of men which is the reason why those stones were divided into three sets that possessed seven rings. One set, the Arcobaleno Pacifiers, are given to the era's strongest seven. The other set is the Mare Rings which is entrusted to my famiglia. And the last set, the Vongola Rings, was in inherited by Vongola Primo and his famiglia._

'_Initially, I have planned to entrust the Vongola rings to Cosimo Primo, however he outright rejected the very notion of being the bearer of too much responsibility._'

_What._

**The.**

_**Hell**_.

'…_.So basically my great-whatever-grandfather is a good for nothing idiot._' I monotonously stated.

'_**NO!** He was most definitely **NOT** a good for nothing! Nor is he an idiot! He is a very honorable man!_' Sepira was, surprisingly, quick to defend my ancestor's honor.

'_And you're not just saying this because he wears gloves?_'

'_Of course not! He does not even wear gloves! Furthermore, he had his reasons; reasons that I, myself, am aware off but, disappointingly, did not put in to consideration._'

'_And those reasons would be…?_' I asked but Sepira remained uncharacteristically silent.

Bingo.

I just found my current pass-time.

I then proceeded to bombard the woman with a hundred questions every half a minute.

And because of this, I have committed another mistake; a mistake that will either be forgotten entirely or will be used for merciless teasing and blackmail in the future.

As I pestered the other occupant in my mind, I didn't actually take notice of the other inhabitant within the playpen seemingly getting closer to me. At first, I didn't pay attention to him. But then Basil began to babble baby speech that meant shit-percent recognition in my vocabulary, no matter how expressive and animated his hand gestures are. I still ignored him in favor of getting answers from Sepira.

This seemed to trigger something in the other baby. And before I registered what was happening, the other baby just grabbed me by the cheek and smacked his puckered lips onto mine. And that, my friends, is how the CEDEF's very first childhood sweetheart couple was formed.

By the sounds of things, it seems like I wasn't the only one caught off guard by the sudden turn of events judging from Turmeric's sudden spit-take of his coffee.

Immediately, the man separated the both off us and placed each one of us on the opposite side of the couch, his body serving as a wall to prevent anymore unwanted homosexual moments between Basil and myself. Although the purpose serves Basil more than me, seeing as the other boy is trying his darn hardest to get across the human barrier while I, on the other hand, sat on my side of the couch with disbelief still coursing through my entirety.

In my defense, I am a person who is under the category of '_never been kissed_' even in my previous life. But apparently, this doesn't apply to me now. So this is actually quite shocking.

Note to self: Be more attentive.

By the fact I can literally _feel_ Sepira's giggling, the woman was glowing with amusement at the happenings. And maybe a little sentiment of nostalgia but I might be wrong since her amusement towards the situation prevailed over everything else. If I wasn't too shocked I would have told her off.

Or at least tried.

Not that it ever worked.

I just hope that Turmeric is a 'keep-it-to-youself' kind of guy and forget this ever happened to save the grain of dignity I have left.

* * *

So.

Apparently, there are security cameras placed everywhere in this place. And when I say everywhere, I meant even the room where the 'gay moment' happened between us two boys.

I've been made aware of this truth by the most unconventional manner with my mother shooting the door down like she's Xanxus after the emergency mission. She made a grab for Basil and I before she hugged us to death while gushing about how adorable the two of us are. Meanwhile Iemitsu just laughed his ass off while proclaiming to the world how they chanced upon the moment through the recordings of the surveillance camera.

"Haha. I think Ene-kun should have more play dates with Basil." The blonde haired boss stated; a statement to which my mother agreed wholeheartedly with.

…

…

…

And that is how I have come to the conclusion that if I wanted to survive in this world, I have to start praying to a higher force for the patience I need to pull through with this life of utter insanity.

* * *

**[1]** _"You don't do that to me"_ is a phrase that stemmed from a TV controversy that eventually evolved to something as a meme in the Philippines.

**[2]** Komatsu D575A is currently the largest bulldozer in existence.

**Author's Note:** So yeah, this is basically an interaction chapter between the original character and a few CEDEF members. Though to me it's actually between just Iemitsu, Basil and Sepira. Totally lacking, I know I'm not satisfied with it either. And to make up for it, I am more or less gonna start the first phase by next chapter if I managed to outline the events properly. Anyway, sorry for any grammatical errors. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


	3. Family

**Title:** Here I stand, Welcome to the Mafia

**Rating:** T

**Warning:** Characters maybe OOC, many references, and some cussing.

**Summary:** In dying, I expected to be in front of those praised pearly gates of heaven,basked in the divine light of goodness and feeling the naked holiness whilst being welcomed by an entourage of celestial hotties with perfect proportions. Instead, I'm stark naked inside a small incubator, apparently suffering a minimal mishap after being delivered into this world.

**Author's Note:** Oh my god. Just oh my god. The sudden jump of reviews and faves motivated me to start typing this chapter like a cheetah. I even draw a comic version of what he looks like since my tablet is so shitty. Just click on the cover to enlarge it. Anyway, real life is getting in the way and would have to establish that my posts would be sporadic. So I'll apologies in advance. Furthermore, I would like to thank your guys for your support. I honestly never made it past this far unless it was graded for school. So yeah. And further notes on this chapter: there will be a family of OCs because I needed this to establish the chapter's plot. Also, a foreword that there will be little angst in the end and a slice of tragedy. I guess you can say that this chapter is dedicated for me and a friend of mine because of the fact that we've lost important people to us this year and I have personally been having family problems for awhile. In away, this is like a way for me to vent.

Anyway, on with the show! Oh, and **don't forget to check out the end notes**. I have a really important question down there.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but this story and the OCs I have deployed.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Family**

The word family is, according to Googled definitions, a noun used to term a group of people related to each other. This is a word understood as such but despite this, for each individual, their perspective of family differs in to numerous categories, each being suited to what the person considers as an element of a 'family'. In today's society, the elements of a family have been redefined as time marches on.

The most common known structure of what a family consists of usually has a mother, a father and their children. This type of family, often dubbed as the 'traditional family', is the most dominant one even till this day. However, ending in the mix of cousins, grandfathers and other blood relatives would make this Nuclear Family into something else, called an Extended Family.

Nowadays, the family structures have evolved into something more open and diverse than the other two. An example would be where man considers their pet as part of their Nuclear family or even having their grandparent's as their parental figure. Furthermore, there are those who choose to build a family without children or have a child-single parent dynamic as well as a step or blended family and even same-sex parents families. There even those individuals who consider their friends as their families.

In that sense, what people consider now as a family these days have nothing to do with gender, race or how many they are composed of but mainly, what defines a family is the common bond they have created with other people. With that being said, family, to almost everyone, are those people who will provide the person with unconditional love, respect, loyalty, compassion and so much more that mere words cannot exactly enumerate those other things.

Despite the little bumps along the way, or the other hardship that hurtle towards them or within their circle, these sentiments remain fixed and true. These feelings justify the significance of family is for an individual. And the effect it would have should they lose one of the most important things they have in their lives.

And then there's me.

Generally, my perspective of family is limited to people who feed me, who make me feel important—no, not important but are there for me and those who genuinely show great concern for me. With that establish, this only narrows my choice of family to only a few people; my mother from pre-reincarnation and in this one, my best friend from pre-reincarnation and probably, though questionably, Iemitsu Sawada.

What's more is that I don't openly show my concern towards their well-fare but I do make it a point to express them verbally once in a while. With slight difficulty but still manageable. True, I do have other relatives; however, the fact that I don't _openly_ feel those specific lists of concerns makes them just a second priority in my list of 'should anything happen to them, I will avenge them.'

I'm a little dimwit when it comes to subtle emotions. I can be dense at times, you see. And with that being said, I surmised that I wouldn't care much to the fates of other relatives and cry like a widow.

Boy, how wrong was I.

Because family is family, and by the time I realized this, I was already bawling out my eyes when they lowered the caskets onto the ground.

* * *

It was six in the morning when I found myself sandwiched between two women and their god-gifted racks. It was nothing new. It's been like this for six months now. Well, it all started on my fifth birthday when the boss of the _famiglia_, my uncle, decided to throw a grand ball to celebrate _our _birthday together; a birthday that invited not only allied families but most of the clan and other blood relatives.

See, it was already known to most that I actually existed, yet I wasn't officially introduced to anyone outside of Olympia's closest associates which was narrowed down to CEDEF and the semi-immediate family. So imagine my surprise when half of the population that attended is Olympia's not so close associates and other relatives whom I haven't met before.

Ah yes, it was a grand time. I meant this with sarcasm.

In my previous life, I've been through this kind of shit before. Given that my father is of political background and I have a lot of relatives staring at me for the fact that I was a bastard child and other things I could care less about. Unsurprisingly, even till now, I find that being the center of attention still makes me a bit uncomfortable especially now that I've started at a young age, I would be expected to memorize every name and face I see here.

Anyway, to avoid the suffocation of the population, I decided to skirt around the crowds and be a sneak. You know, like a bad ass ninja. Unfortunately, I wasn't actually being bad ass ninja because I was assaulted and squished between two sets of boobs.

"Oh my, what an adorable boy~ Do you not agree, Bijou?" one of the blonde women gushed.

"_Oui_, _oui~ _I could not agree more, Candide! We should ask father if we could keep him!" the other blonde replied.

As much as I like being felt up by their breasts, the oxygen I breathe is something I valued more than anything at that moment. I did try to squirm away from their grasp but to no avail. I felt like a fish out of the water and I can distinctly imagine how I'm probably developing cyanosis with the lack of air. Thankfully, I was saved by another blonde, a male one, by being plucked out of the compression and setting me a meter away from the two women.

"I do not think father would approve of such a request nor would _tantine _be pleased if you decided to abduct her son." reprimanded the other two before directing me with a concerned gaze. "Are you okay, cousin?"

I blinked.

So these people are my cousins? Huh.

I nodded in response. The blonde male sighed in relief.

"My name is Aramis Ledoux and these two are my triplet sisters, Bijou Ledoux and Candide Ledoux. I do apologies for their antics. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Venezio." Aramis gave me a winning smile that made me gay for a moment. But only for a moment, mind you.

"Y-yes. The pleasure is mine as well." I replied though I didn't directly look at him. I swear the longer I stare at his face the more homo I get.

"Awee brother, you are no fun. Father sent for you didn't he?" Bijou pouted.

"In any case, we will stop for now. I do not wish to see him humiliate himself due to intoxication." Candide sighed out. "But this battle is not over. We will have our little bunny, won't we Bijou?"

"_Oui_, my dear sister."

And with that, the two blondes proceeded to smack their lips onto my cheek and left with their brother. Needless to say, I was left there standing in the crowd with two distinct lipstick marks on both my cheeks and a very flushed face.

"So he doesn't just attract the same sex but he's also a ladies' man!" The familiar boisterous voice of Iemitsu Sawada made itself known.

I distinctly remember throwing my shoes at the other man before retreating into the kitchen for the rest of the event where I stuffed myself with ice cream and basically just enjoyed the evening with the other house helpers.

When the next day arrived, my memories of the previous evening just faded.

Everything was back to the normal routine.

At least three days later when I woke up in bed, enveloped between the bodies of my two cousins and their brother throwing me an apologetic look from the couch. It turns out they forced their way in the mansion and decided to move in so that they could _bond_ more with this side of the family. Well, that's what the two women claimed. However, Aramis's expression gives me the feeling that it's something else all together.

And that is how I've been living my life out for the past six months with the newly added routine; being doted upon by two older cousins, suppressing spontaneous outbursts of homo hormones courtesy of Aramis, spending my play time between my other cousins and Basil and stalki—spending time with the love of my life.

Anyway, enough with the recap. It was six in the morning and I could already hear my eldest cousin, Amerigo, banging on the double doors. How Bijou and Candide remain dead to his yelling remains a mystery to me.

"Oi brat, get your ass out of bed. We're going shopping." Amerigo yelled.

"You imbecile, it's six in the morning. I'm not waiting around for the mall to open!" I snapped back.

"Why you little—!" I am so glad that I have the need to lock doors at night. Otherwise, I would have been hung from the third floor window yet again. Apparently, Amerigo was not the type to hold back even when he's faced with a child's snarky attitude. I have single-handedly discovered this when he almost flayed me alive with his sky flames.

Knowing the older male's temper, it's best to start preparing myself for the day. I decided to have a quick shower before dressing myself in a blue shirt with a Mickey Mouse hoodie, a pair of black shorts and red snickers. The Mickey Mouse thing wasn't so bad once I got used to it and admittedly, I did take a certain liking to it as well. I do actually consider it now as a trademark for myself—'the boy who likes Mickey Mouse' or something.

Anyway, I skipped grooming my hair knowing it would still actually look like a mess afterwards and quietly headed down to the dining area where that bastard would be sipping at his cappuccino. Surprisingly, it wasn't just Amerigo who was awake at this ungodly hour but most of my Uncle's children, my other cousins.

"_Finally_. The little brat prince has decided to _grace_ us with his presence." The third eldest cousin, Cairo, spoke with irritation. The feeling's mutual. Just looking at his pretentious face makes me want to throw my plate at him.

"Apologies, your _highness_. I wasn't made aware that my presence would be needed for you to stuff yourself silly." I hissed back.

"Boys, no quarreling!" My second eldest cousin, Vienna, reprimanded with a wagging finger; like a mother scolding her children. " We are on a tight schedule today. A request from _zia_ is a mission to be taken seriously. Now Ven, let's make haste. Sit down and eat your breakfast."

I took a seat beside the youngest cousin, Adriana, where she proceeded to coddle on my arm. Even with her attached to my arm, I expertly ate my breakfast. An order from Vienne is never to be taken lightly, especially in this situation since she's actually doing me a favor.

The mission in question is something simple: a request from my mother to find me the most suitable apparel for tonight's night event, Vongola's Alliance Party. The fact that my mother is part of CEDEF is a sure fire ticket for my attendance as well. I've practically spent most of my days in the headquarters so I undoubtedly they'd already dubbed me as a CEDEF Baby, a nice title in my opinion. Furthermore, due to the dispute the Cosimo family is having with a rival family, my mother is also attending the party as a representative for the _famiglia_.

Well that's what they've told me anyway. But I'm pretty sure Basil was throwing a hissy fit when they told him that he had to attend the party. To think that he has the capability to be selectively bratty surprised me to no end. But then again, he is still a child and though he is well behaved most of the time, I can understand the need for the mind of the child to take over once in awhile.

Anyway, to placate the boy, they dragged me into this mess.

Oh joy, how exciting.

I meant that with sarcasm.

I didn't want to think what would transpire later on that evening and instead focused on stuffing rice inside my mouth while gulping down a mug full of chocolate milk. I could see the disgusted look Cairo was sending me and counted that as a small victory for the morning.

You're probably wondering why I'm eating rice in an Italian household? A little spoiler, kids: I used to be Asian… Or at least I was raised in an Asian way. I don't know since my memory is a bit foggy but what I do know is that rice is my staple food and everyone else who has a problem with that can go fuck themselves.

Thank god for Asian house helpers.

Once breakfast was adjourned, we wasted no time and left the manor for our destination.

* * *

Apparently, my beloved cousin Amerigo wasn't joking around when he said we'd be window shopping at six in the morning. Our access is courtesy of the mall owner, who happens to be acquainted with Amerigo and owes him a solid.

As of the moment, Adriana and Rovigo, Adriana's twin, were busy dragging me around the place as they pointed out on various things that I would have found interesting as well if it were not for the fact that I have a mentality of an adolescent.

"Ohhhhh~ Ven! Look at that doll! The color of her dress matches her eyes!" Adriana gushed as she tugged me towards the display widow of a toy store. The fact that she understands the concept of color and she speaks without reverting to infantile speech for a four year old amazes me.

"Pfff—_Fratellone _doesn't care about colors or dolls! He likes Gundam Seed and football like a real man! Right, Ven?" Rovigo turned to me with expectancy.

I looked between the identical blondes, as they gave me those adorable pouty looks that translated to 'agree with me'.

Honestly, I don't know. If I answered truthfully, I'd say I'd prefer food, video games and books that range from fantasy novels to anatomy texts. But seeing as they're too intelligent and I really don't liked to be interrogated by children in their inquisitive prime, I dumbed down my interest to something like:

"Board games and cooking are my interest, actually." I responded. Rovigo made a face and Adriana simply made an 'oh' sound.

"So you want to become like big brother Cairo one day, yes?" The blonde girl's starred pale orbs looked at me in anticipation.

Fuck no.

As if I'd want to become like that prissy bastard.

But the damage has been done.

The older blonde male already heard and had his eyes locked onto me. I can literally feel the intense sensation of piqued interest and a renewed determination from his ocean colored gaze, to the point where it sent a chill down my spine.

It's incredibly creepy I tell you.

"I doubt that a spoiled brat such as yourself would achieve such a feat. But as your kin, I will do you a favor and aid you in reaching your goal. I will teach you all I know and you will become one of the world's bests." Cairo said, his hand over mine and his eyes burning with a resolve ten times greater than before. I would have loved his enthusiasm if it weren't for the fact that I have other plans in life and he insulted my capabilities. Jackass.

"No thanks. I'd rather be someone else's protégée."

"You ungrateful bra—"before Cairo could even finish, Vienna proceeded to karate chop him on the head while I struggled with Amerigo's manhandling.

"Oi you _stronzo_, what the fuck did I say about goofing around?!" The older woman barked at her younger brother.

"Ohhh, Vien said a bad word!" Adriana gasped.

"Tch. Can't be helped. Cairo, you attend to the twins. Amerigo and I will deal with this since you guys are getting in the way. We'll meet you back at Rocco's."

And with that, Vienna led the way with me, slung over Amerigo's shoulder in defeat. I didn't bother fighting him. If he wants to carry me, then more work for him.

It took awhile to get there but our party eventually stopped over to the only shop open in the mall; a store that sold formal garbs for kids.

When we stepped inside, we were greeted by an old man who looks to be in his late fifties and had a kind expression on his face. It looks like Vienna and the old man were already acquainted judging by how friendly they are in greeting.

"Is the suit ready, Ignazio?" the woman asked.

"Yes, yes. The only thing you need to choose is the bow tie." The old man replied, picking up the suit that was hung by the rack.

I couldn't help but give out a low whistle.

The suit, in general, wasn't exactly fancy in anyway. It had the same design as any suit that was meant for children. The only thing that makes it stand out is color of the fabric; a dark blue that almost comes off as black but the iridescent effect of the fabric gives emphasis to its true color. I wasn't an expert at suits or anything, but judging by the material used to make this suit, I'd say this was rather expensive in itself.

I must have been gawking at the suit because the next thing I knew, I was manhandled yet again and was shoved into a dressing room along with the suit.

"Give it a try, boy. And tell me how you like it." Ignazio smiled before he left me on my own.

Ugh, I don't understand why they have to keep on manhandling me.

It took a minute to get dressed and the end result was me staring at my own reflection.

Okay, I wasn't exactly a narcissist but…

Holy shit.

I was working this suit.

I looked absolutely awesome and adorable.

Adorable enough to take over the world

…

Nah, that's impossible.

As soon as I stepped out of the dressing room, I had received one complement from Ignazio ("Looking good, _ragazzo_! You'll get the ladies in no time!") and two psychotic cousins arguing about whether I should keep my hair slicked back or simply letting it be. I could see Ignazio releasing an exasperated sigh before crouching down onto my level. In his hands were two boxes that contained two bow ties. One was a simple black bow tie while the other adorned a unique design; a print of the universe with colors that equally matched my suit.

For some reason, I'm more drawn to the printed bow tie rather than the regular one and didn't hesitate to reach for the printed bow tie before putting it on. I looked at the old man for opinion and he flashed me a smile.

"My, you remind me of your mother with your choices." He ruffled my hair. "Always proud to wave her family banner." I tilted my head in question and the man simply laughed.

"Cosimo, your family name, is a derivation from the Greek word 'Kosmos'—meaning order but not just any order, it's gotta be a complex and orderly system. The only thing that properly represents the word itself is nothing but the universe. A weird representation if you ask me though it kinda suits you guys, what with that star eyes thing you've got going. "

First off, I just chose this bow tie because I'm eccentric. Second, that's just weird. How the heck does he know all this?

"How do you know all this stuff? Aren't you just a shop owner?" I asked skeptically. Ignazio just chuckled.

"Why kid, I used to work for your grandfather until your uncle took over. As much as your uncle wanted me to stay, my loyalties are to _Settimo_. So I retired and opened up my own shop."He finished and stood up. "Now as much as I like seeing you all here, I believe that you still have elsewhere to be?"

"Right, how much is the suit, Ignazio?" Amerigo asked, taking out his wallet in the process but the older male just waved him off.

"No need, no need. Just send me a Barolo by next Thursday, alright? Good. Now be off and be careful. I heard Guido's men are after you."

I felt Amerigo stiffen beside me. I couldn't help but raise a brow at him. The bastard just ruffled my hair.

"Pfff—the Bonasera ain't got nothing on us." Now it was Vienne who waved the other man off. "And don't worry; I'll drop it by in person."

We left the mall and hailed a cab to take us to Rocco's Place.

* * *

It was eight –thirty-five when we arrived at Rocco's place. Approximately, six minutes and thirty-seven seconds away from the mall. I couldn't help but give Amerigo a look.

"Is your sense of direction so bad that we had to take a cab when we could have taken a measly fifteen minute walk?" I said. The blonde male just rolled his eyes at me.

"Gimmie a break, will ya? I got tired carrying you around okay."

"The exercise is good for an old man like yourself." Wait a minute. "Are _you_ calling **me** a _**fat-ass**_?!"

I was immediately karate chopped to the head.

"No cussing, brat. Not until you're old enough." Amerigo, surprisingly, reprimanded me.

If only you knew.

"Tch. I don't even know where you heard that from. "

"I don't need to hear that from someone like you." I mumbled and was smacked on the head. I said no further and simply followed.

It turns out the Rocco's Place is actually a pool café owned by the family; named after someone I could care less. But the menu's great though. They serve horchatas, churros and other kinds of foods you see outside of the country. I didn't hesitate to order myself a glass of horchata and churros. I haven't had those in forever.

The three of us made our way to the pool once we've finished changing into swimming attire. Of course, it didn't escape my observant eyes how, uhm, _great_ Vienna looks in her bikini. And it seems like I'm not the only one who shares these opinions seeing as Amerigo can't even look at his own sister without going red in the face. On the other hand, Cairo was a blushing tomato of rage and embarrassment when he saw her wearing something too revealing for the public eyes. The proof of this is evident through the few early swimmers ogling at her physique; most of which are composed of men.

Anyway, long story short, we just swam and goofed around for awhile. Well, the twins and I did since we were stuck at the kiddy pool. Playing like this and just acting like a kid reminds me of the pros of having being reincarnated again. I could revel in the childhood moments and do the things I wanted to with that feeling of satisfaction because I actually did it.

Meanwhile, the 'adults' of the group were having fun by flirting (in Amerigo's case) and having adult conversations that literally scream serious business. Ah yes, the con side of this situation, I am a child. Though they do recognize my prodigal self, getting involve in this type of things is out of the question. "To keep the innocent away from bloodshed", is what Sepira would say. But they don't realize that we're already _born_ into the life. I don't really understand why they have to keep us in the dark for so long.

By ten o'clock, we were already having lunch. Somewhat of a feast than a lunch, what with all the servings the followed after we finished a round; each one would be from a different cuisine type too. We finished by eleven followed by a thirty minute break before jumping into the pool for another round of swimming. Well they did, anyway. I stayed behind since I feel like I might throw up any second now. And so did Amerigo.

We sat there in silence and I found myself observing my cousins; people that could pass as my genetic siblings.

All of us shared the same platinum blonde hair and a semi-Danny Targaryen complexion. The only thing that would be unique in each one of us is our eye colors. Even though most of them have either blue or green eyes, they still vary which each other and are matchless, except perhaps for the twins.

The twins have eyes of steel, a pale blue that was ringed with their mother's green. If compared with their brother, Cairo, though, one would be like comparing day and night for that pompous moron, no matter how much I hate to admit, has the most vibrant eyes of blue I've seen; worthy of comparison with the Star of India. Meanwhile, Vienna is a different case. Her eyes exemplify what it truly looks like to gaze at the stars with her gradient eyes of turquoise. Well, more or less, they look like iridescence of peacock feathers. Lastly, there's Amerigo. There is no other way to describe his eyes; it's like looking at pure rock hard emeralds.

And then there's me.

My eyes are like the Black Prince's Ruby. They're red; unnaturally, red. Only albinos have the capability to possess red eyes and even most of them have normal eye colors. I solely put blame on the anime metaphysics. Because I have blood-red eyes yet I am not lacking in melanin. But the point is they're red. This is the one thing that actually sets me apart from my cousins; proof that I am their cousin and not their brother.

Yet, the relation between us can still be seen however because of _that_.

The starred eyes.

The distinct design embed to our eyes, dubbed as the 'glimpse of the universe, the sign of the cosmos', that was passed from the first Don to his successors.

This is what especially makes us as a Cosimo. This is what marks us as family.

"Oi, brat. Stop thinking too much, it's annoying." The older man began as he flicked my forehead.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Another karate chop to the head.

"Stop cursing, it's unbecoming of you."

"Since when does a cuss master machine gun like you ever concerned of children cussin?"

"Since _Zia_ Olie found me cussing up a storm when I was changing your diaper; your pee stained my best suit."

I could only imagine what my mother would have done. Just thinking about it made me chuckle.

Amerigo could only glare but that didn't last long.

"You know you should stop over thinking on stuff and smile more." Amerigo said. I could only blink at him dumbly.

"Eh?"

"You're still a kid. Leave the big stuff to the adults."

"What the hel—heck are you on about?"

"I'm not an idiot, Venezio. You know what I mean."

"No, I don't know what you mean. I wasn't even thinking about anything in particular." Just some slightly angsty stuff, actually, that's none of your concern.

The older male sighed again and stood up.

"You only live once. But some are lucky. Even so, my point is that you shouldn't waste this chance you've been given." Somehow, that single statement sent a chill down my spine.

It's like he—

I shrugged at the idea as soon as it came.

That's impossible. The man's constipated when it comes to perception.

"'Sides, you've got a lot on your plate. So just revel in the moment before the time comes, eh?"

With that, he gave a wink and ran off to the nearest group of girls he saw.

As much as I wanted to ignore it, there was a clash of emotions dominating my entirety at his words. I am an individual who takes words in their literal sense except when we're talking about dirty jokes but Amerigo's words invoked the feeling of assumptions that he knows something about me; my origins at least. And that prospect made me feel nervous for some reason.

'**That maybe a possibility.**' The familiar voice of Sepira echoed through my thoughts.

'_What got you talking now all of a sudden?_' I asked. It's been precisely three weeks since she last bothered me with her random chatter. One minute she was going on about how Alaude was such a gentleman touring her around France and in mid-rant, I felt her emotions of shock and sorrow and before I knew it, she completely disconnected from my thoughts. Since then, my mind has been peacefully silent but awfully dull.

I waited for an explanation. I deserved one, after all. But nothing came. Just an apology from the other.

'**I-I…I'm sorry. I just… I'm really sorry.**' She spoke, the grief and guilt in her words pulsed in my being before it completely disappeared. And so did she.

I would have pondered over her odd behavior hadn't Amerigo came back and promptly thrown me in the pool with the others. To say that I felt enraged would be an understatement. I mean who the fuck throws a five year old in a six foot deep pool?! I'm saying this because I actually almost drowned If Vienna hadn't picked me up. I literally latched onto her neck and glared daggers at the culprit; the person in question just laughed at me before he slung an arm at one of the girls and just walked off.

At that time, I swore to the heavens that I would find his stash of lube and replace it with super-glue. The sick fuck.

* * *

The time we decided that the party's over is when Oregano arrived by lunch time to pick me up, at the request of my mother. She ate her lunch while I got dressed and by the time she finished, I was already wearing another set of clothing; a set of black sweatpants and an orange shirt with another Mickey Mouse print. Somehow, I could pin-point the tiniest form of amusement in Oregano's eyes. She's probably thinking about _that_ time. I just know it.

"Whaaaat? You're leaving already, _Fratellone_? But it's still too early!" Rovigo complained, her sister attaching herself to my arm.

By the fact that my skin has turned a darker shade and I feel a stinging sensation is a sign that it's just the right time to get the hell out of here.

"Nooooooo! I don't want you to leave!" the blonde girl pouted.

"None of that now! He has his own duties to attend to." Vienne chided in a motherly way. "Besides, we'll still see him later. So you can still play all you want! You just have to wait a little, okay?" At the girl's nod, she turned her full attention to me.

"And as for you, be on your best behavior. Don't do anything too outrageous. "She spoke softly before placing a kiss on my forehead. "Good luck, Ven~" The twins followed suit, leaving a quick kiss on both side of the cheek at the same time, much to the embarrassment of Rovigo, and left with Vienna. Cairo simply rolled his eyes at me, left a quick 'Don't embarrass us' message and a peck on the cheek before he left. Finally, it was Amerigo. He crouched down onto my level and looked at me dead in the eyes, an air of unfamiliar seriousness radiating from older male.

"Oi brat, don't screw up. You're five; I understand that but still… Just do your best, okay? Everything's up to you now. If you need help, just ask for it. No need to go lone wolf and deal with it by yourself, yeah? And you should smile more often. Get the stick out of your ass and act like a kid, for the love of everything. God knows we don't need another Cairo." He said before he ruffled my already messed up hair and stood up.

"Anyway, good luck, Venezio. We're counting on you." The man winked and left.

Somehow their words of encouragement came through as something a person would say when a friend goes to war.

It's just downright nerve-racking when people expect a lot from you.

I watched Cairo's retreating figure join his family before I myself turned away and got in the car with Oregano.

As we drove off, I busied myself with ignoring the slight unpleasant sensation I was feeling.

* * *

We arrive at about an hour and a half. The first thing I did was jump off the car and rushed off to the training area where I was met with the usual sight of people practicing whatever skills they needed to practice. I waved a greeting to those who would notice me out of politeness and hurried to one corner of the area where I could see Basil doing warm exercise with _her _watching the other boy like a hawk.

The _her_, in question, is none other than Lal Mirch.

The one true person that I love.

Well, no.

But I do have an immense crush on her.

You're probably wondering why her of all people. I would explain but I'd rather not elaborate since I'm not too sure why I feel this way for her as well. All I know is that it started when I first met her three years ago; my baby brain dubbing her as the fairest of them all and bam! I still do find her the fairest of them all even if she is in her cursed form.

I slowly made my way behind her, carefully making sure that my shoes weren't making squeaky noises. See, this has been my routine whenever I visit the CEDEF headquarters: I'd track her down, usually finding her in the training area, and would try to sneak a hug on her, which would always result into something I've only seen while reading this universes' manga.

Like now.

When I was but a meter away, she didn't hesitate to turn around and shoot me at least five times. Thankfully, I live in a household with people shooting guns at each other on a daily basis, so I managed to dodge at least four out of five of them; the fourth one grazing the sleeve of my shirt.

"What the heck do you think you're doing, rookie?" she asked in her _'instructor' _voice.

"Uhm…I—" I didn't get a chance to answer since she fired another shot just right pass my left shoulder.

"Twenty push-ups for your sloppiness." If it's her giving orders, I would have started right away. However, the sudden decrease from her usual forty actually invoked my curiosity.

"Twenty?" I raised a brow. She just smirked.

"With Basil sitting on your back."

I just had to open my fucking mouth.

You're probably thinking how a five year old can manage to do push-ups with extra weight. No, I'm pretty sure _anyone sane_ knows that I'd have fractured a bone by now. But I didn't anyway because this is the world of anime; where logic is bent and contradicted several times just to make the plot work. And with that being said, I managed a set of twenty push-ups with Basil cheering me on my back. The fact that he was moving too much added to the unnecessary challenge I managed to conquer.

Hah. I even went for another extra ten push-ups just so I could impress Lal.

She only gave me a nod of approval but it made my week.

And it also managed to re-energize me for the duration of the training.

I was _skipping_ laps around the training ground like a love sick fool.

Which I am, in a way, I guess.

By the end of my training, I found myself submerged in a tub of cool water, reveling at the neutralizing effects on my sunburned skin. I slowly felt myself nodding off into a nap and I would have enjoyed one right now if Basil hadn't made his way towards the tub while unsuccessfully trying to strip off his clothes. In the end, I had to help him with his shirt.

"Don't come near me, please." I immediately said once we were in the tub. Little kid has a habit of making me wash his hair or just momentarily sleeping on my shoulder after a hard day's training. I don't usually mind, but the sunburns are really a bitch.

"E-eh? Why not, Ene-chan?" The brunet tilted his head, his furrowed in confusion. My persistent scolding of not adding a '-dono' suffix to my name was a success but unfortunately, he took on the name Iemitsu would call me, _Ene-chan_. Even though I kept telling him that using '-chan' is for like, girls or something and I am not a female, he still stuck with that. It was a battle I lost.

"My skin hurts due to the prolonged exposure I had under the sun. Melanocytes are the little shields that protect our epidermis, or in other words, our skin, from the UV radiation coming from the sun and more or less dissipate it as heat. Turn around will you." the other obeyed and I started washing his hair for him. "In my case, I've been out swimming with my family for about two hours which overworked my natural skin protection and is giving me a stinging sensation when direct contact is enforced."

"Ene-chan, you're using big words again." The other boy pouted. I simply sighed before I started doing my own hair.

"I'm tan. I have sunburns. Don't touch me because my skin hurts."

"W-what!? You're h-hurting?" I could almost feel the distraught in his voice. His concern is adorable.

"Yes. But I'll be fine as long as you don't actually touch me." My explanation went unheard as the boy practically ran out of the bathroom and clung onto Turmeric's pants, looking teary eyed.

"T-turmeric! Ene-chan said it hurts when I touch him!" Coincidentally, the man in question was sipping on a can of soda and did not hesitate to do spit-take at what he was hearing.

"WHAT?!"

I could only face palm at the whole situation.

Personally, I find it quite odd how the other man is always a witness to are seemingly homo-moments but hey, maybe it's just coincidence.

After an explanation, Turmeric helped the both of us into our suits. Well, he helped Basil in his suit while I successfully managed to wear my own. It would have gone a lot quicker if the other boy wasn't so insistent that he could dress on his own. In the end, we had to help him dress up. By the time we finished, my mother, along with Iemitsu, already arrived to pick us up.

True to Ignazio's words, Olympia really does wear the family banner with pride.

My mother was clad in a black A-line dress that resembled Jade Harley's 'Three in the Morning' dress but less conspicuous and only gradated at the bottom portion. She also wore a long sleeved lace bolero to cover up her upper limbs. Meanwhile, Iemitsu was working that suit. He looked good in white but somehow, the way he carries himself makes him look more like a groom on his wedding day rather than the boss of CEDEF.

And now my mother was making a fuss about the placement of the bow while my godfather complimented my new tan, actually saying something how it makes me look less like a china doll before slapping me on the back.

Hard.

Let me tell you something: my mind is that of an adolescent but my body is that of an infant. This would mean that my body is sensitive. So it's actually unsurprising when I started whimpering and shedding big fat tears of hurt. Because it's fucking painful, okay.

It only took a minute (a new record) for my mother to land a blow on her boss, before acting like she didn't cause a bruise on Iemitsu's abdominal area and tried to calm me down. It took less time before I managed to fall asleep in my mother's arms, exhausted after all that crying.

* * *

The next time I woke up, I was being roused by my mother. Having a consciousness of an almost adult made me understand that we were already here but being also a child, I did so with crankiness and I sleepily trailed after my mother while she held onto my hand.

Even though I was half-awake, I actually managed to evaluate the Vongola manor and came to one conclusion; this place was _the_ shit. The outside looked exactly like the one on the KHR Wiki page but the inside is something that you'd only see in those old films set in the old times. The place was _literally_ a piece of history and what was more, is that it had its touch of modern times; new additions that went well together with old ones and just fit in.

I'm a person who loves history and encountering something that is older than me is what ultimately relieved me of my sleepiness and had me gawking at the every interior my eyes came upon until we arrived to the area where the event was held. When we arrived there, well, I felt a new emotion rise within my entirety.

To say I wasn't nervous would be like denying that I didn't breathe air.

I'm scared.

I was ready to shit my pants.

I remembered the fact that this is Katekyo Hitman Reborn which ultimately made me realize that I was in an event where criminals are gathered and I could be killed, raped or violated any second.

Or so my active imagination tells me.

Even with the fact that I actually live in a house that have people trying to kill each other as a daily sparring match, I was only ever caught in the cross-fire; not directly assaulted. And they did their best to protect me from harm's way. Besides they're different. I know they won't do me any harm but these people, I don't know them. They could have ulterior motives, go rogue and start shooting at people.

No, don't think about it.

I tried to counter my own thoughts, saying things that would soothe me, to calm my hyper active imagination, to clear my mind of anything that wasn't actually true. I was too panicked and pre-occupied that I didn't realize I got separated from my mother. And when I did, I started hyperventilating. My legs felt weak and I would have fallen over if someone hadn't steadied me on my feet. The person in question pulled me away from the crowd before asking me to take slow deep breathes.

It took about ten minutes before I finally calmed down. I looked up to thank the person who helped me with my problem and found myself looking at the face of an individual I actually never expected to meet.

Vongola Ninth.

I actually stood still, my crimson orbs going wide with realization and I think I'm having a palpitation.

"Are you lost, little one?" Timoteo asked as he crouched down to my level. I nodded and schooled my expression to hide my feelings of indignity.

"Yes, sir. I… Got separated from my mother." Well, I think she actually ran off on her own.

"Well then, shall we go look for her?" the old man offered me a hand to which I accepted, and led the way.

'_Oh my god, this is so embarrassing._' Was the only thing that ran within my head while I displayed a mask of indifference. Though that proved to be impossible to maintain what with all the looks people have been giving us. Holding hands with one of the most of powerful men in the underworld scene can warrant that kind of attention. And by the time we found my mother, who was chatting up a storm with some other bosses, my face was already awfully red.

I turned to Timoteo, mustered up a proper thank you, before I dashed over to my mother, burying my face at the side of her dress.

"Oh my~ Where did you come from, Venezio? I thought you went with your uncle."

"Ah, your son, I presume?" One of them said.

"Wow, he looks so red in the face!" Another pointed out.

"Never thought a child you bore would be a shy type, Olympia."

I'm not a shy type. I'm just too emotionally compromised that the circulated blood concentrated on my face.

"Well I'm not surprised seeing as he's surrounded by older people. Not to mention that they're strangers." Olympia waved.

"Eh, you've got a point. Kids like him should be around people in his age group. Hey, Dino!" The man called out to someone.

The name quickly got my attention.

Dino.

Di-no.

Diiiiiino.

Dino.

Dino Cavallone: the tenth boss of the Cavallone family, Reborn's former student and a somewhat brother to one Tsunayoshi Sawada. In the manga, the man showed exceptional strength against adversaries, especially where it concerned his family; after all, Fuuta ranked him the number one mafioso out of 82, 263 mafia bosses, who cares for the safety of his subordinates as well as civilians. So I'm not surprised at what he can and would do. Also, among the characters of the series, he was ranked as the 8th most popular character amongst the readers.

If you ask me, he was pretty fucking badass.

A thirteen year old blonde haired boy, rushed over to the man.

And promptly tripped on nothingness.

Of course, every badass has his dents; Dino's flaw was that he was a clumsy without his men. Seeing as a younger Romario was there, I came to the conclusion that Dino really is a loser before he received Reborn's training.

There was a moment of silence among the group.

I could vaguely make out the distinct pitying looks the other people sent the boy and the one who called him, his father I presume, suppressing the urge to face-palm at his son's clumsiness.

The boy stood up and approached his father as if nothing happened.

"Why don't you go play with Venezio over there. You look like you're bored out of your mind." The man said. Dino blushed a bit confirming the blonde's thoughts.

My mother took the initiative and pushed me lightly towards the other so we can get acquainted.

"Ven, this is the Cavallone's Boss's son, Dino. Be nice to him and don't cause too much trouble, alright?" She patted my head and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. "Now get going. I have to talk with the other bosses about, ah, the _usual_ stuff."

"You mean your _mafia_ thing?"

"Sure, my _mafia_ thing." And with that she rejoined the group.

It's just me and Dino.

"My name is Dino Cavallone. It's nice to meet you, Ven." The other boy introduced himself, putting on a natural smile that most fangirls and boys would go wild for. Its effects on me were worst since it was also starting to activate my homo hormones.

"It's Venezio, actually. Venezio Cosimo. But Ven would do, only if you let me call you Dino." I said, taking on semi-mature confidence and flashing him my own brand of a kilowatt smile.

"That's a deal! So what do you wanna do firs—Ven? Where are you going?"

I didn't answer and just followed the path towards the buffet, Dino trailing behind me.

* * *

Contrary to what I expected, I actually had a good time that night.

Dino wasn't bad company.

Well, at first, he was.

The boy was literally treating me like a five year old kid, despite the fact that I've exhibited intelligence and actions that exceed the normal five year old.

For the love of god, he tried to _spoon-feed_ me.

Needless to say, he got the message when I said I'd sic my pythons on him.

Not that I have pythons anyway.

After that, he started treating me like any other kid from his age group, which was fine by me, and just talked about stuff in general. Eventually, we dumbed down our conversation to something more appropriate for a five year old when Basil joined our group. It was hilarious when Dino tried to baby Basil since the other five year old kept on blushing in embarrassment and insisted that he shouldn't be babied; which just, _maybe_, added fuel to the fire.

So now, we were situated in the second floor of the venue, with Basil talking animatedly to Dino ("Did you know Ene-chan likes Lal Mirch-dono?"), the other absorbed into his stories ("Eh!? But he's only five!") and me, playing "where's Waldo', only I'm looking for KHR characters instead. So far, I spotted Xanxus, Squalo and Hayato amongst the crowd. Oh, and there's Reborn. He's also flocked by a few women, which was a weird image since he was a baby. How women find him charming in _that_ way was beyond my understanding. I sighed before I resumed my people watching.

It was weird, to be honest, looking at the charac—no, _people _that I've read in a fictional book. These individuals whom I've deemed as the best of the best in not only fighting capabilities but looks as well; they were perfect in my eyes when I was a kid. And they're awesome still, when I think about it. However, if I re-evaluated my opinions, added in my experience of now, I guess they'd fall under as normal people—human, I dare say. Regardless of the fact that they can defy physics but I'm talking about them being as a person. They still do the shit that we actually do back in my pre-reincarnated world. There's just this concept of eccentricity added to the mix.

I would have continued to ponder over my thoughts if I wasn't distracted by that uncomfortable feeling I felt this morning.

Only this time, it was a lot worst.

In that moment, I felt like I was being compressed inside a tube, it was getting harder to breath. I shakily stood up from my position, and scanned the crowed for my mother. It's the first thing I always did, even back in my pre-reincarnation world, when something medically related is happening to me. I searched for her, trying to pin-point a mane of platinum blonde among the guests, only my eyes landed on another figure instead; an infant wearing a familiar looking mushroom hat with a tattoo on her left cheek and an orange pacifier that hung around her neck.

The only reason why my attention was caught was because she was staring at me, dead in the eyes. It's like she's looking at the very core of my being. It was uncomfortable. It was what ultimately drove me to run towards the nearest bathroom; those eyes that held emotions of pity and guilt.

It was worst when I got to the bathroom. What compression I felt in my whole body was no concentrated into my head. I felt that reminiscent feeling of the cause of my death; the initial impact of the truck to my body. Only this time, it's just my head. I didn't even realize that I was clutching my head and repeatedly banging it on the ground while I screamed my throat dry. The pain was excruciating, to say the least and what made it more unbearable were the distinct screams that echoed in my thoughts and the horrid flashes of moments that came with it.

_Burning._

The Cosimo HQ was bathed in a torrent of flames. Familiar faces burned in the fire.

_Someone choking._

There were bear-like hands around Rovigo's throat; the child's lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

_Someone being shot at repeatedly._

A submachine gun was repeatedly shot at Cairo's carcass, his mother's and everyone else's.

_People fighting._

I could make out the figures of Vienna, Bijou and Candide aiming their weapons at the enemy, fighting them with all they've got.

_Someone being wounded._

My uncle received another slash wound as he dueled with the pursuers; stalling enough time for the one armed Aramis and a concussed Adriana to escape.

_There was laughter._

Guido Bonesera stood by the beaten and bloody body of Amerigo Cosimo, a maniacal smile placed on his lips. He placed the tip of his axe at Amerigo's neck.

_His eyes were looking somewhere._

Those once-vibrant green eyes of Amerigo's were looking straight at me.

_He yelled something._

"LOOK AWAY NOW!"

_The axe swung._

Amerigo was beheaded.

At the same time as the flashes ended, I could hear a few footsteps making their way to me; the concerned voice of Dino and the crying of Basil barely audible in my ears. Exhaustion took over me, my legs finally gave out and I fell down the floor. Someone caught me, I don't know who. Everything was a blur and my sight was getting darker. I succumbed to unconsciousness; the last thing I heard came from a somewhat familiar voice.

"I'm so sorry, Venezio."

Now, it made sense.

* * *

I woke up to a lonely king sized bed all changed into some pajamas.

I distinctly remembered I was at a party and yet I was dressed in sleeping attire. It didn't make sense.

I slowly blinked, my eyes adjusting to the morning sunlight. I took in my surroundings. The place was unfamiliar to me.

Wait.

It was morning.

Last night—!

The influx of memories of last night was what ultimately shook me out of my sleepiness and I was about to get out of bed when I heard a recognizable click.

"Where do you think you're going?" That baby voice sounded familiar.

I turned to look to see a baby wearing a fedora and a yellow pacifier. He was pointing a green gun at me.

It was Reborn.

I would have gone on another spazz at how I'm actually face to face with world's best hitman. But now wasn't the time to do so. I had other important things that occupied my mind and well… He was holding his Leon-morphed gun at me. It was fine if it was Lal Mirch but if it's the strongest Arcobaleno, a stranger to me in general, it's another thing.

"I need to see my mother." I stated in a voice devoid of emotion.

"She's not here." The other replied.

"When is she coming back?"

"I don't know. But you've been left in the temporary custody of the Vongola Ninth."

The next question I asked left me with dreadful anticipation for its answer.

"Where is she right now?"

"She's at the Cosimo Base."

My heart stopped.

If she went there without me, something happened. I needed the confirmation.

"What happened?" I continued to ask. He just gave me his usual unreadable expression.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Please, tell me." Reborn sighed.

"Last night, the Cosimo manor was attacked by the Bonasera family…" I eventually drowned him out. I didn't need a recap of something I already knew. Something I wanted to burn out of my memories. I asked for the story for confirmation. And as I caught bits and pieces, the more it matched with whatever the hell happened to me last; the general over view at least. He was skirting around a few details. Details that concerned the aftermath of my blood relatives.

"And my kin?" Reborn hesitated a second before he continued.

"Your blood relatives are dead.""Dead." I finished with him. He gave me another look.

"Most of them are dead, except for two cousins. They escaped because Uncle stalled for them." I corrected.

"You knew." There was an edge to his voice.

I stayed silent; my silence bearing the answer.

"Do you know where they are?" he asked finally.

"N-no, unfortunately." Reborn sighed, his animal partner morphing into its original form before jumping onto the bed. He jumped of the couch and walked towards the door.

"Do not leave this room. I would know if you tried." Of course you would. I nodded at the other before he left. Once he was gone, I gave out a sigh before I allowed my body to fall back onto the bed, Leon occupying the emptier side of the pillow.

My family.

Dead.

Most of them are dead.

I replayed the memoires of yesterday morning, the last memories I have of them. We were enjoying ourselves. I remembered Adriana and Rovigo's childish smiles of innocence, Cairo's strict-uncle attitude, Vienna's motherly nature and Amerigo's love-hate brotherly affection; things that I won't ever get to experience anymore. All because they were dead.

I delved further into my memories, into the parting moments of that morning. And it was at that point that I reached the epiphany: Amerigo _knew_ this would happen to him. From the way he acted yesterday and the words he said, he _knew_ this would happen to him. And it's not just him. Sepira and that sky Arcobaleno sent me looks of sympathy—condolences—and guilt—it was a fixed point in time—when they saw me. It occurred to me that they _saw_ this coming due to their abilities but they couldn't do anything to prevent it.

Knowing these things should have sent me into a rage by now. However, it didn't. I didn't feel anything at all. I felt numbed to the core. And I wanted to keep it that way.

And so I did.

For the past few days I have stayed within the Vongola manor, I kept up a cool façade that nothing was wrong at all. It was for the better. I wouldn't like for them to coddle me or anything, nor do I want to make them walk on their toes.

Mostly, I just kept myself in my room, staring outside like a mindless zombie and just maybe rotting a little inside because of the sheer boredom of everything. Once in awhile, a maid would visit me to check up on me and sometimes it would be Nono's Guardian. There have been visits too with Basil and Dino being the more frequent ones. But there were also from Turmeric and Oregano, just to check up on me on behalf of my mother. Lal went once because Basil pestered her and the one with Iemitsu _almost_ made me cry out my emotions when he enveloped me in his embrace but he actually had to ruin the moment. Surprisingly, there was one from the Giglio Nero boss, however, I was asleep at that time and just left me their contact number; something I'll get on in the future.

On the fourth morning in the manor, I woke to my mother preparing a black suit for me. I knew what it meant and I didn't want to ponder on it. I did my morning routines, ate breakfast and left the manor with my mother. We didn't say anything to each other but I understood what she felt as she held me tightly in her arms. No words can describe the deep sorrow she felt.

We arrived to the burial site and honestly, I just zoned out the whole ordeal. It wasn't till they finished the whole ceremony and started lowering the eight coffins that contained my family that I snapped back to reality.

Family.

Yes, that's what they are to me. No—not by blood or by the eyes that marks us family, but the bonds we have forged together. That's what made me realize they were my family. Even though they didn't express their compassion and concern in the way I'd imagine it, they still did their best to show these sentiments in their own way.

I actually thought that I didn't care about them, that I would practically be unaffected at all if they get slaughtered for all I care. And yet, I found myself caring about them and ended up crying a river into my mother's sleeve.

I hate myself because I realized this too late.

…

…

…

I just hope I won't make a mistake of the same degree in the future.

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**A/N:** Okay, there are probably misspellings there and grammar work. I'm sorry for that. Though I did double check it. My eyes are just messing with me since I lack sleep. So yeah, that was actually needed for the plot and now, for a little spoiler Venezio will be moving to Japan next chapter, so no more Basil time. But anyway, I needed your help about something which relates to Venezio's father and there here are the choices:

**A.** He'd be raised by a single-father.

**B.** He'd be raised by a same-sex parent family meaning his dad is gay. And if you agree with this, should the step-parent be canon(name 'em) or OC?

I'm also open for other ideas and suggestions. So yeah, that's about it for now. Hope you liked the story.


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